Damaged

3. Regulars

My first few weeks at the diner were miserable. I had no serving skills to build off of so I had to learn from scratch. Pa was a nice old man who loved baking pies. He mostly sat in the office when his feet ached and interacted with the customers when he felt better, usually to give out free slices.

I met most of the town folks at work, considering this was the only diner in town, and I loved it.

Working at a diner had its benefits. I got to bring home the left overs at the end of the night and the tips weren't too bad either. Pretty soon I could buy a bed and stop sleeping on a thick pile of musty blankets at night.

The corolla stopped running the first day, which was expected considering I didn't buy gas after I got here. It was a 45-minute walk into town, which was manageable for me since there weren't much of a choice, and it was a job I actually quite enjoyed.

I was getting paid for providing service that didn't involve my mouth or other body parts.

I got to know the regulars, especially Emmett, Kenneth, and Clayton. They came in mainly on their lunch break and ordered a shit ton of food. They also tipped well.

I glanced out at the cloudily sky and prayed the rain held up until I got home to board up the windows.

"The rain giving you a scare?" Clayton noticed from across the diner. He loved to poke fun at me from time to time, calling me over at times just to make a comment.

"Yeah, I gotta get home early."

"I don't think that's going to happen, the town rodeo is this afternoon. No one is going home early." Emmett informed.

"Is that so," I mumbled. Kenneth stared out the window silently. He was always the quiet one, never said much. But he had the kindest eyes, and the softest smile. He would comment on something quietly from time to time, but never addressing me directly.

"I reckoned you for a city girl, but I thought you'd know the routine by know." Clayton muttered, ashamed. He slammed his cup down on the table in fake anger and outrage.

I shook my head and cleared their table, lingering longer than necessary. "Are you finished with that?" I gazed at Kenneth, waiting for his answer.

"Yes Ma'am." he slurred gently, handing the plate to me. I accepted it and carried them back to the washing station to catch my breath.

"You are more smitten than cupid with a bow." Danny mumbled in my ear from behind.

"I have no idea what you're saying." I uttered in denial.

"You got the hot's for Kenneth." she slapped the apron on the counter and pulled off her hair net. "It's always the quiet ones you gotta look out for." she threw over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" I questioned. We were the only servers and I wasn't confident that I could handle the rush alone.

"I'm on the city council. I have to help set up the rodeo, besides you said you wanted more tips. I'm giving you the busiest night."

"I thought the busiest night was the festival. Tomorrow."

"We are closed during the festival. Get it together girl. You are more confused than a fish on land."

"Right," I breathed feeling disoriented from that one 'Yes ma'am'.

After the guys left, I cleared their tables completely and calculated my tip. They tipped me more than the cost of the actual bill.